About the Author

Jim Ciardella is a storyteller, Ferrari enthusiast, and native Californian. Born and raised in Palo Alto, he grew up in the heart of Silicon Valley and witnessed the dot.com boom and the changes it created. And he heard incredible stories, some of which he believes deserve to be told.

In late 2005, Jim met Brian Burnett, co-founder of Ferrari of Los Gatos. In the 1980’s, this Ferrari dealership sold more cars than any other. Over the years, Brian told Jim numerous stories about Ferrari of Los Gatos and finished each tale with these words: “And someone ought to write a book about it.”

One night, after many stories and Brian’s predictable conclusion, Jim told him, “I’ll do it. I’ll write the book.”

This blog tells the Ferrari of Los Gatos story and is the predecessor to a book that is a work in progress. If you have a memory or story about Ferrari of Los Gatos, please share it. The plan is to include some of them in the book.

When he isn’t writing stories, Jim, a finance executive, helps technology companies. He started his career in public accounting and soon realized that growing and improving businesses was his calling. And there was no better place to fulfill that calling than Silicon Valley, the land of start-ups and successful hi-tech firms.

No matter what position he held, writing played a huge part in all Jim’s business experiences. He produced everything from business plans to contracts, reports, and even investor offering memorandums.

Writing brings Jim great pleasure. He says, “Written words that tell a story are magical.”